Knob



J. J. BAUMAN Jan. 13, 1953 KNOB Filed Sept. 3, 1949 ttorneg Patented Jan. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNOB Joseph J. Bauman, Chicago, 111.; Edna M. Bauman, executrix of said Joseph J. Bauman, deceased, assignor to Kurz-Kasch, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 3, 1949, Serial No. 114,013

9 Claims.

This invention relates to knobs, and more particularly to knobs used on radio and television cabinets, instrument panels and the like for the turning of control shafts which serve as mounting means for the knobs.

It has been conventional, heretofore, to make such knobs of a molded plastic, there being a closed bore in the back end of the knob to receive the mounting shaft. Springs contained within the bore or radial set screws are utilized to hold the knob upon the shaft, relative rotary motion being inhibited by a complementary formation of the shaft and bore or by the set screw. There has been increasing demand that knobs of the class described be made more decorative in appearance and that some means be provided for showing ornamentation or identifying indicia on the face of the knob. In answer to such demand there has been developed a knob characterized by a. metal insert in the face thereof, such insert being ordinarily plated to enhance its appearance and preformed with a desired ornamentation or indicia.

As previously known, the insert type knob has certain disadvantages. It has heretofore been proposed to mold the insert into the knob body. This involves a subsequent removal of flashing and is additive to the means for attachin the knob to the mounting shaft in respect of the cost of labor and materials. Moreover, an insert so installed is not readily removed and replaced and there is a limited flexibility in the matter of applying different inserts to different knobs. O-bviously, it is impractical for a manufacturer to stock a large number of knobs in each of a variety 1 of combinations of bodies and inserts.

The instant invention contemplates the provision of a fabricated insert type knob as distinguished from a molded insert knob. Accordingly, the knob body is molded but the insert is separately made and applied to a completed body simply by pressing it into place in a recess on the body. Thus, many different types of inserts can be made and selectively installed in the bodies as desired, it being so made possible to furnish a large variety of insert body combinations at relatively low cost. The invention further contemplates the use of a duofunctional insert, the insert not only serving as ornamentation but also as the means for locking the assembled knob on its assoherein, whereby such knob may not only be eco- 2 nomically manufactured, but willbe more efiicient and satisfactory in use, adaptable to a wide variety of applications, having relatively few parts and unlikely to get out of repair.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a fabricated insert type knob.

A further object of the invention is to provide a knob construction in which any one of a plurality of inserts may be used.

Another object of the invention is to provide a resilient connection between the insert and the knob body enabling a ready removal and replacement of the insert.

A further object of the invention is to utilize as an installation connection between the knob and its mounting shaft the same connection by which the insert is held to the knob body.

Still another object of the invention is to provide duofunctional means yieldingly operative to maintain the insert upon the knob and the knob upon the mounting shaft.

A further object of the invention is to provide a knob possessing the advantageous structural features, the inherent meritorious characteristics and the mode of operation herein described.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view as will more fully appear in the specification, the invention intended to be protected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation, as hereinafter described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings, or their equivalents.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein is found the preferred but obviously not necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a knob in accordance with the instant invention, shown installed on a radio cabinet or the like;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the knob on the cabinet;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the knob installed on the mounting shaft;

Fig. 4 is a, sectional view taken substantially along line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a front view of the knob body; and

Fig. 6 is a rear perspective view of an insert element.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, a knob in accordance with the instant invention is shown, for illustrative purpose, installed on a radio or other cabinet Hl, indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. Further for illustrative purposes only, the knob is shown in the cylindrical form, in which form many such devices are made.

The knob comprises a body II which may be made of a molded plastic or like material. Formed in the body during the molding process is a longitudinal through bore I2, and, in the front surface of the body, a short flange I3 defining a central recess I 4 in surrounding relation to the front end of bore I2. The back end of the knob body is fiat to lie flush against or adjacent to the cabinet or panel upon which the knob is installed.

The through bore I2 has, as best seen in Fig. 5, an irregular formation comprising a substantially triangularly shaped portion I5 and a slot-like portion I6 overlying and communicating with the base of the triangular portion. Portion I5 receives with a sliding fit the end of a mounting shaft II entering the bore I2 from the rear.. .The

end of the shaft I! received within bore I2 is flattened to provide a land [.8 approximately coinciding with the horizontal plane of the base of triangular portion I5.,,

The recess I4 inthefront surface of the knob body is formed to..seat an insert assembly I9 made up of outer and inner metal discs 2I and 22 and a lateral tongue 23 arranged to enter the front end of bore I2. Outer disc 2I is plated or otherwise decoratively finished and may be, as shown, curved .to present a convex surfaceto the exterior of the knob. The peripheral edge of the disc 2| is turned over or crimped upon the peripheral edge of disc 22 to make of the discs a unitary assembly. ,Disc 22 is fiat and made of spring steel or like material. formed by striking up a relatively broad portion The tongue 23 is of disc,22, as seen in Fig. 6, such portion being subsequently shaped to form an inwardly tapered outer end and an intermediate portion which has a rolling or undulating configuration.

The tongue 23 is received within the slotted portion I6 of bore I2, and, by reason of its tapered and undulating formation makes common frictional contact with the wall of bore I2 and with the land I8 on shaft I1. Accordingly, frictional spring forces are established tending to hold the knob body II upon the shaft I I and to hold the insert assembly I9 seated within recess I4.

In the construction and assembly of the knob, the body II is molded and the insert assembly I9 is fabricated in separate operations. A number of styles and sizes of knob bodiesmight be made and stocked, for example, and inserts I9 of corresponding style and size made and stocked. Further, the inserts of a given size and style may be varied by the applying of different ornamentation or indicia to the decorative outer disc 2|.

.Then in filling an order for knobs .a number of knob bodies and suitableinserts are drawn from stock and each knob assembled simply to pressing the insert into place in the recess I4. The tongue 23 is guided into and lies within the slotted portion I6 of bore I2, and, in bearing against the wall of the bore, maintains the insert seated snugly within recess I4. In the installation of the knob, it is slipped onto a shaft, such as the shaft IT. The land I8 engages the tapered outer end of tongue 23 pressing it more firmly against the wall of bore I2 and at the same time developing a force of reaction resisting withdrawal of the knob from the shaft.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumerated as desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise but one of several modes of putting the invention into effect.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

'1. A knob for frictional mounting on a shaft or the like, including a body having a central opening therethrough to receive the shaft, a recess in the front surface of said body, an insert seated in said recess, and a duofunctional tongue integrally united with said insert extending into said 'centralopening and having simultaneous frictional contact with the shaft and with-said body to maintain said insert in said body and said body on the shaft.

-2. An instrument knob or like device, including a body having a longitudinal opening therethrough receiving at one end suitable mounting means for the knob, a cap to be mounted on the front surface of said body to overlie and close the opposite end of said opening, and a spring tongue integrally united with'said cap and extending into said opposite end of said opening making common frictional contact with said body and the mounting means.

3. An instrument knob or like device, including a body made of a first material and having 'a longitudinal opening therethrough receiving at one end suitable mounting means for the knob, a recess formed in the front surface of said body in surrounding relation to the opposite end of said opening, an insert made of a second material and seated in said recess, and a formed spring tongue integrally united with said insert and extending into said opening and having frictional engagement with said body and with the mounting means.

4. An instrument knob or like device according to claim 3, characterized in that said insert and said tongue are comprised in a unitary assembly including a first disc-like element having said tongue struck upward therefrom and made of spring steel material, and a second disc-like element joined in substantially surface engagement with said first element and made of a finished decorative material.

5. An instrument operating assembly or the like, including a shaft, a knob presenting a longitudinal through opening receiving said shaft through one end thereof, a recess formed in the front surface of said knob in surrounding relation to the opposite end of said opening, and a decorative insert assembly mounted in said recess and including a portion entering the said opposite end of said opening and having frictional engagement with said shaft and with said knob.

6. An instrument operating assembly or the like, including a shaft formed with a flattened outer end, a knob presenting a longitudinal opening therethrough to receive the outer end of said shaft through one end thereof, said opening comprising a substantially triangular shaped portion and. a slot-like portion overlying and communicating with the base side of the triangular portion, said shaft being received in said triangular portion, a recess in the front surface of said knob in surrounding relation to the opposite end of said opening, an insert seated in said recess, and a tongue integrally united with said insert extending into the slotted portion of said opening and formed with undulations in frictional engagement with said knob and said shaft.

'7. An instrument knob or like device, including a knob body presenting a longitudinal bore and a recess in the front surface of said body in surrounding relation to one end of said bore, said body being made of a molded plastic or the like, a decorative metal insert seated'in said recess, and a spring tongue integrally united to said insert entering said bore and making frictional contact with the wall thereof to maintain said insert seated in said recess.

8. An instrument knob or like device according to claim 7, characterized in that said longitudinal bore extends through said body to receive a mounting shaft through the opposite end thereof, said tongue having an undulating formation for common contact with the shaft and the wall of the bore to maintain said knob body on the shaft as well as to maintain the insert seated upon the 25 body.

9. An instrument knob or like device, including a knob body of molded plastic or the like having a longitudinal bore therethrough, a recess in the front surface of the body in surrounding relation to the front end of said bore, said bore providing for entrance at the back end thereof of a mounting shaft, a decorative metal insert seated in said recess, and a spring tongue extending into the front end of said bore from said insert bearing simultaneously upon the wall of said bore and upon the mounting shaft to establish and maintain a unitary assembled relation between the knob body, insert and mounting shaft.

JOSEPH J. BAUMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,834,371 Rosenberg Dec. 1, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 174,159 Switzerland Jan. 6, 1934 

